Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Centers welcomes first Red wolves to state

By Jessica Gruenling

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    DIVIDE, Colorado (KRDO) — Wednesday was a historic day up in Divide. The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center welcomed the first Red wolves to Colorado.

Van Gogh and Shawnee are both ten years old and made the trip to Colorado from a wildlife center in Texas. The pair are adapting to their new life and the cold winters ahead. A big change from where they came from.

“When we brought them in here and they were on the grass they were like ‘oh this is really nice here,’ and so I think they’re going to acclimate really well,” said Darlene Kobobel the founder of the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center.

The Red wolf population is dwindling fast. Over the last decade, numbers have dropped by more than 85 percent. Right now, there are only eight left in the wild.

Van Gogh and Shawnee aren’t a breeding pair, but their move to Colorado opens up space for other facilities to step in and help.

“It opens up space for another facility to have a breeding pair and hopefully be released back out into the wild,” aid Kobobel.

The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is using its platform to educate.

“We just talk about how they are really important for the echo system. People get a chance to actually see what a red wolf looks like, they get to know the history of them, they also get to know that they’re the most endangered wolf in the world and how we can protect them,” said Kobobel.

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